f13.net

Good on them.

They finally got around to doing this then - been talking about it for ages

They need to force all the freebies to join the TR as we are badly in need of numbers  :-D

Someone update this thread when it happens and I'll check it out.

Holy crap! I might actually check it out.

Even I will check it out when this happens.

Sounds like another SOE product that recently underwent an extreme dumbing down makeover.

Apparently, to SOE, challenging = bad.

Just how hard was it to click Instant Action and press the trigger when you saw a different colored guy?

The other things they have in the lineup like the portable turret, portable cloak, etc. sound somewhat cool. It's about time.

Now all they hav to do is patch ps.exe ---> swg.exe and their whole marketing plan for '06 will be in motion. 

I fiddled around with the Certification Planner at PS Stratics. One can actually make a decent character at BR8 (11 points.) I always liked Uni-MAX+Sniper (11 points) myself. You could also go HA+Rexo+some vehicle or go tank driver+combat engy.

This will bring me back, for sure.

I'll be checking this out.

I mean, come on...it's free. I had some fun moments in closed beta also. Hopefully most of the bugs will get worked out.

I've never had an interest in trying the game, but this program will get, even me, to try it.  More MMO's need to set up their systems this way.  Hell, AO had me for at least 2 months this way.  They got $20 they wouldn't have normally had at least.

Cool, more numbers = more fun in PS. Too bad they hadn't done this when it was more of a modern game, I'm not sure the fpstards will get hooked, even free, as they're used to teh shiney in BF2. Subscription cost was the main reason my bf1942 clan didn't transition to PS, despite my explaining how cool and massive it is. Ah, well.

I'm not sure what was too hard for newbies to learn, though. Instant Action + shooting until there are no different colored guys, rinse and repeat.

sounds cool, but the phrase "fodder program" just makes me laugh.  :-D

It makes me wish UO had introduced a similar "Sheep" program circa early 2000.   :hello_kitty:

I wish i had tried the AO free offer once in a while, ill definitely be trying this one.  Someone please bump this when it actually starts.

http://planetside.allakhazam.com/

Roofles.

Where do I sign up to be fodder?

That is a great idea, I seem to be looking for gunners many nights for the Raider I'm driving.  The TR just doesn't know how good we have it with that vehicle, even if we have to have 5 people to make it effective, it is one helluva force multiplier.

2 Deliverers > 1 Raider (yes I know you need 1 more guy but if you found 5 just take the time to find 1 more)

If I can find some freetime, apart from when I should be sleeping, I'll definitely try it out again.

If they can come up with some incentives to make me actually feel that the subscription fee is warranted - without making me catass about - they may even see a few of my dollars.

I thought it was only available via station pass ?

No it's available as a stand alone subscription as well.

Anyone know if the fodder program has gone live or not yet.  I popped over to their website (they have some flashy new main page), but all i could find was a 10 day trial promotion.

Not live yet, AFAIK.

They now have a FAQ (http://planetside.station.sony.com/news_archive.vm?id=67028&section=News&month=current) up regarding this program, dubbed the "Reserve Program":

Interesting tidbits:

- 12 month expected duration of the program is "fixed"  sign up first day, get 12 months to play.  Sign up half way through, get 6 months to play
- Max battle Rank 6, max Command Rank 2.
- You will be unable to Pilot BFRs  (the big modular mechs)
- you will be prompted, after every game session, to upgrade to a full account (via being redirected to a website when you stop your current session)

Expected to go live in the month of March (or so they hope)

I seriously hope they get rid of or drastically reduce the time delay in removing certs, otherwise I predict that a lot of people that would be interested in experimenting with different builds and learning about the game are just going to give up since you'll very likely be gimping yourself for at least a day to learn something else when you have that few cert points in total. Also not having experience accumulate past the BR6 limit is lame, though I understand why they are doing it that way.

I fail to see how letting people play for free for a year is in any way lame.

Hell, my highest character only ever made BR12 or so. I always avoided groups that were all about exp grinding, spent many days playing with only getting a handful of experience, but almost every point was turning a battle.

Stupid mmogtards.

With 8 character slots you can try a lot of 'shallow' characters, so one can try most of the equipment after a couple of ranks.  That's what I did in beta.

How does it work with 'sides' in live?  In beta you could have chars on any side on the same server.

You can have characters in any two of the three sides in each server.  You can play one side, then switch to the second, but you cannot go back to the first for some amount of time (12 hours I think, but that is just a guess).

Currently, you get 7 full calendar days with zero recert wait time, and after those 7 days, it's now only 6 hours per recert as opposed to the old 24.

Indicators from what few Devs talk to the community state that the 'Reserves' program (its new and vaguely less insulting name) should go live sometime this March. 

The community on SOE's own boards couldn't be happier at the prospect of new players or at the upcoming promotion.  Which is rare, because its one of the few things that I have ever seen a forum agree on.

Planetside manages to stay alive because of its gameplay, despite SOE's valiant attempts to screw up.  I'd highly recommend it.

MOLE!!!!!!

Haha, of course they are pleased to have a bunch of newbie, BR limited soldiers to shoot at.

Actually, its a quality-of game issue.  Planetside is one of those PvP games that gets better when the total number of players gets larger.  Fresh blood means more people to shoot at, but also more varied fights in more locations.

It also means a lot of people with very limited firepower.

A.k.A. Fodder

Well - unless they pick Terran.

Battlerank 6 can lead to some nice things, you could pick repair (gotta have the glue gun), light tank, prowler, and raider.  And if enough people are on, you can actually crew a raider and wtfpwn! things quite well.  KAAOS (Hendron's unit from the old Lum board) has shown that a good group of people running around with just reavers can decimate BFR's, heck they did it in a "pajama party" style once, where they had all 20 of them spawn in agile armor and chainguns.

But I'm sure the other empires can tell of how they can overcome with good tactics with so-so weapons.

The only problem will be getting the new people into the battle and once there, that they will follow orders.

The following is off the PS website, http://planetside.station.sony.com/news_archive.vm?id=67028&month=current

***

 Planetside Reserves FAQ

 

View the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the PlanetSide Reserves program.  You can also join the discussion on the Official PlanetSide forums.


Q:  What is the demo program PlanetSide Reserves?
A:  Demo players will be able to download the PlanetSide Reserves demo and will be able to play for free through Battle Rank 6. Once they reach BR 6, they will be able to continue to play the game, but will not accumulate additional experience points unless and until they upgrade to a paying account. On exit from the game after each play session, players will be taken to a website that will allow them to purchase the game client and upgrade to a paying account. Upon purchase of the game client, you will receive an additional 30 days of play after upgrading your account.  This offer is not available for existing PlanetSide accounts.

Q:  Is Battle Rank 6 the maximum rank that PlanetSide Reserves accounts can reach?
A:  Yes. The PlanetSide Reserves accounts can only progress up to Battle Rank 6 (BR 6).  Once BR 6 is achieved, you will be able to continue to play the game, but will not progress further unless you purchase the game client and upgrade to a paying subscription.

Q:  How do I access PlanetSide game files to try it out?
A:  We will provide you a location to download the demo game files. There will be a link on PlanetSide.com with more details.

Q:  How would a PlanetSide Reserves account user convert to paying subscriber?
A:  On exit from the game, you will be taken to a website that will allow you to purchase the game client and upgrade to a monthly subscription for the price indicated on the website, which includes the opportunity to obtain the Battle Frame Robotics (BFRs), the giant robot units, and gain more XP to progress through higher Battle Ranks. With higher XP you will be able to gain new implants, better weapons and higher command ranks.

Q:  How long can I play the demo?
A:  The program will run for a fixed 12-month period.  The length of your demo time will depend on when in the promotion period you sign up.  If you sign up on the first day, you will have almost 12 full months of gameplay.  If you sign up one week before the end of the program, you will have one week of demo time.

Q:  When a PlanetSide Reserves account converts to a paying account, what happens to the characters and account if they decide to cancel later on?
A:  Once an account converts over to a paying account, normal cancellation procedures apply.  To play that account again you will need to enter billing on it. Please note, only one PlanetSide Reserves account per Station Account will be permitted.

Q:  What other features will I receive when I purchase the game client and upgrade to a paying account?
A:  When you upgrade your account after purchase of the game client, you will immediately receive an additional 30 days of gameplay before your first subscription is paid. Also, the very next time you login after upgrading the account you will have no restrictions on the growth of your character and can progress past Battle Rank 6, Command Rank 2 and will be able to imprint your character to use BFR’s (Battle Frame Robots) after completing the prerequisites in the caverns.

Q:  While playing the demo, will I be able to work towards merits?
A:  Yes. All of your kill statistics towards merits will count, but some merits do not apply until after you’ve reached a higher battle rank.  So, you may not be able to get all your merits while in your demo period.

Q:  Will these accounts have access to the caverns?
A:  Yes. There will be no restriction on areas while playing the demo.

Q:  Will a PlanetSide Reserves account be able to obtain a BFR?
A:  You will be able to finish the prerequisites for obtaining a BFR but you will not be able to get the imprinting of the BFR until the account is upgraded to a paying account.

Q:  Will I have any identifying feature on my character to single me out as a PlanetSide Reserves player?
A:  Fortunately for you, no. Until you unlock your account and gain enough XP to reach Battle Rank 7 your armor design will be the same. If you want to avoid being singled out as a lower level player, purchase the client and upgrade to a paying account as soon as possible.

Q:  Will I be able to join a squad?
A:  Yes, it is highly recommended for learning the game quicker and keeping your character alive. You’ll be able to join or create a squad from the moment you start playing. Just hit “P” to bring up the squad commands and controls to create or search.

Q:  Is it true that joining an outfit is a great way to learn the tricks of the game? And can I join an outfit as a PlanetSide Reserves player?
A:  Yes to both. Outfit members only succeed if their teammates know what they are doing to cover their backs, and you will be able to join up as soon as you enter the game. It might be a good idea to find out the play style of the outfit before accepting and invitation. Many outfits have their own web sites so check it out!

Q:  Will I be able to gain experience after I achieve Battle Rank 6 and Command Rank 2?
A:  No. Experience will stop as soon as you reach each ranking, until you upgrade to a paying account.

Q:  If I wait awhile to upgrade to a paying account after achieving Battle Rank 6, will my experience be saved up and then be applied to my account when I do upgrade?
A:  Unfortunately, no. You’ll only accumulate additional experience after you upgrade to a paying account. So don’t wait too long to get into the action!

Q:  What is a population lock on a continent?
A:  There is a cap on the amount of players that can enter a continent per each empire. This number may fluctuate by continent, but if your empire has capped out on a continent you will have to wait your turn to enter or pick another battle on a different continent.

Q:  Will PlanetSide Reserves players be given the same priority as paying players when waiting for a spot on a population locked continent?
A:  Players on accounts that are paying a subscription will have priority over PlanetSide Reserves player accounts.

Q:  Will PlanetSide Reserves players be limited to the amount of players per account?
A:  All demo player accounts will have the same character limits as paying accounts. You can have up to 8 characters on each server.

Q:  When will the PlanetSide Reserves program launch?
A:  We have not locked down an official launch date as of yet but we hope to have it live within the month of March.

Hmmm, unless I'm very much mistaken, BR6 would get you at least a mosquito, repair, and a shotgun. What else do you need?


Recertification? Why would I want that? I ALREADY HAVE A MOSQUITO.


PS. I hear PS now supports joysticks. whoohoo! I may well be resubbing sometime soon.

Yes it does.

If you want to see what you can get with BR6, try this: Planetside Cert Calc (http://www.xennon.co.uk/pscertcalc/). It seems to be current in it's costs.

BR6 should be enough to give you one set of toys to play with (either good grunt armour and guns or all the MAX suits) you just wont be versatile(sp?) outside your set

CR2 doesnt give either the EMP or obital strike though (just the command channel and show friendlies from the CUD)

Do you still need to do stupid cave stuff that should have never been added to the game in order to get battleframes and those horrid Eldar-ish artillery things? If the answer is no I'll probably resubscribe. If the answer is yes, the game can still choke on my nuts and die.

Battleframes, yes.  But since reserves/fodder can't get BFRs, it doesn't matter.  Plus, BFRs are something of a specialized 'standoff' kind of tank now, since their shields are not indestructible and BFRs are weak against specialized infantry.

Flails, sortof.  Flails require an vehicle mod, which must be 'stolen' from the caves and plugged into a friendly base.  One you have that mod available and linked directly or indirectly to a base, you can draw a Flail from any friendly base.  But like the BFR, Flails are for artillery support and are definitely not a soloist weapon anymore.  You don't need to go into the caves to cert the flail.

I can't even remember the last time I went into the caves... 

Please bump it when it goes live.

Curious myself....

Wouldn't mind taking my BR20 CR4 outta retirement....if there was a large playerbase.

I actually upgraded to Station Pass to start playing PS again but have yet to actually log in.

Let's say I only want to play Stealth; I can't use rifles, so that removes a lot of cert possibilities, right?  And I can only drive a wraith - so that's not a lot of vehicle cert investment.  Would I have enough certs available to make a decent stealther in PS free mode?

How is stealth in Planetside?

At BR 6, you would have (last I checked) 9 certs.

Infiltrator Armor is 2 certs.
ATV is 1 cert.

At that point, its a matter of what you want to do.
 If you want to plant explosives, that's 5 certs.
 If you want to hack things good, that's 5 certs.

So, sort of. 

Free accounts are either going to be vehicle pilots and light infantry, fighter pilots, UNI-MAX(power armor) infantry, or specialized heavy infantry.  With the current guidelines and notes, you could have a separate character for each.

The commandos and elite troops are going to be the domain of paying accounts: that's sort of the nature of the beast.

Stealth in PlanetSide is very very good. You have a lot of both strategic and tactical options as a stealther. There are counters to stealthers (e.g. Darklight implant) but then you have counter counters as well (EMP grenades will temporarily knock out implants). Unfortunately at a max of BR 6 you won't be able to make a full blown stealther which requires both Combat Engineering (with Engineering as a prereq) and Advanced Hacking (with Hacking as a prereq) even if you skip your stealth ATV. You can do CE or Adv Hacking (plus the stealth ATV) individually to get a sense of what they are like though. CE + Hacking is enough to let you blow up equipment in bases if you can handle hacking lockers in enemy spawn rooms.

But the real question is: Can I make a decent Sniper?

Yes you will have just enough points to make a decent Sniper:

Medium Assault (prereq for Sniping)
Sniping
Medical (heal yourself in the field)
Engineering (repair your armor in the field)

or

Medium Assault
Sniping
Reinforced Exosuit (more armor and inventory spaces but slower movement)
Engineering or Medical

So...uh...

When do we get to play for free?  :evil:

BTW this cert calculator looks to be reasonable up-to-date:

http://www.1cmm.net/ps/cert/

There are many others out there but the game has changed certs, costs and the number of starting points over time so many of them are out-of-date.

Demolition sounds fun.  If I just went stealth/planting explosives without hacking, would I be able to do alright?  What about sneaking up and assassinating people - is that possible?

Also, will I be able to tell when someone is turning on a darklight implant?

Stealth Combat Engies that are good can have a lot of fun dropping boomers at the feet of unsuspecting MAXs. One shot kill ftw! The problem is movement. Stealthers really should use a Mosquito to get around quickly.

Yes as long as you are fighting near a friendly AMS (mobile respawn/equipment dispenser) or friendly base/tower, yes (knifing snipers is always fun), and I can't remember (didn't play Stealth much).

The infiltration suit has a very small inventory so you can't carry much stuff with you in the field so you constantly have to go somewhere to resupply assuming you aren't killed. Without hacking/adv hacking you have to use an AMS, equipment terminals at a base or tower your side controls or the trunk of a vehicle like your stealth ATV that you loaded with explosives (ACEs in PlanetSide-speak which can also be used for other things like turrets and motion sensors).

Goes live today.

The Planetside website is really bad. Lots of Flash, but I'll be damned if I can find any Fodder program or play for free beyond the 10-day free trial.

Well, the FAQ (http://planetside.station.sony.com/news_archive.vm?id=67028&section=News&month=current) says its goes live today - whether SOE actually manages to make it happen is an entirely different kettle of fish.

The official forum thread has people asking where the sign up link is as well

Looks like SOE dropped the ball (dare I say 'again')

I'll be on Markov/VS once it starts, will not be playing too much but it is nice to have an fps to goof off in.  I'm wondering though do I need to make a new station account or can I use my old one?

http://planetside.station.sony.com/reserves/

It's out.  I think. 

The link to the download is http://download.station.sony.com/patch/download/pls/psreserves.zip

You currently have to download the above file (all 1.8 GBs of it) even if you already have PlanetSide installed. They are apparently going to try and set something up next week so you can download just want you need through the Launch Pad.

I downloaded it Saturday, took about 1.5 hrs.

Installed it, ran it, entered my old station account I haven't used in 3 (?) years, it said I was good to go.

Fired it up, it did a couple of patches, and I was in the game.   All very clean and painless.

Except they must have added stuff since beta, since I had no problems running it back then on the exact same box.  Now the game is totally unplayable if there are more then 10 players around.  Also it must use tons of memory, it takes 5 min from exe launch untill I can move, and takes 4 minutes from when I quit untill I can use my PC again.  When it gets slow in play I can't even move the mouse pointer.

Its nice when you buy a vehicle you just jump in automatically now.

I flew around some on the edge of small battles.  I normally was killed by unseen weapons, I would see the hits, but never anything directly or on radar.

Maybe I'll try again when I get another PC in 6 months.

Check your settings. Some time ago, PS added an option to cap your framerate. This option seems to work reasonably well as managing what it should draw to keep your fps at the level you want. Also, your default settings from when you last played might have changed. Turning off grass helps a ton.

So do you have to download the "Reserves edition" program?  I have a full install of Planetside already on my pc, from a few months back where they gave everyone a "come back for free month" and see what we did package.  Is there no way to just convert my existing account over to a reserves account?

You can try creating a new LaunchPad shortcut with this path (you'll have to modify it if you installed somewhere other than the default):

"C:\Program Files\Sony\Station\LaunchPad\LaunchPad.exe" /game:planetside /batch:2007908 /plan:426

Sweet, it worked.  Still dont know why i had to create a new account.  They should allow you to convert an old account to the reserves program.  But i guess that would conflict if you already had high BR/CR characters on that account.

I tried this for about 10 minutes last night. I plan on playing a bit more at lunch today.

It feels really slow and awkward compared to other shooters. I am reminded of the SWG NGE.

Yes you move like a slug compared to your standard Quake/Doom/UT-style FPS.

But it should work that way. An MMOG FPS should be more about tactics and teamwork than finger speed. A coordinated squad in PS can take on 4 or more unorganized squads gun to gun. Medics rock.

Apparently i got br 2 without firing a single shot, what do i do now? i assume it means i can learn how to use some new stuff but i cant figure out how.

Quick and Dirty PS guide:

Do the missions they will lead you through the basics.

Switch to mouse look > Click the button in the lower right corner > There is a tab for missions.  Click on one and start it.  Doing all the missions and the VR training (every time you use a new weapon/armor/support item, pilot a new vehicle or act as a gunner for a new weapon system you gain exp).  Doing all the basic missions should get you to BR4.

You can buy new certifications at the Cert Consoles which can be found in various places including the HART shuttle building in the Sanctuary.

I'm playing VS on Markov (US-west) server, haven't done any serious play yet, but I'm thinking my certs will be:

Uni-Max (6pts): Gives access to all 3 MAX armors
Ground Support -not sure about the name- (3pts): Gives you access to 3 2-man light vehicles
Engineer (2pts): Will let me use armor/vehicle support items.

Mostly I use the AA vehicle when we are attacking from a base, and the MAX's when attacking from a tower or defending one of our base/towers.

I would have no problem with a tactical style of gameplay. But the engine just runs like a pig stuck in mud. I'm going to fiddle with settings, but so far, I'm not all that impressed.

If you like faster FPSes, you might get more what you want from Air Cavalry or Armored Assault 1.  Both of those certs feature combat with single-crew vehicles that move at high speeds.

The game _is_ a memory hog.  And Battlefield 2 looks better.  It has its flaws. 

But how is it slow? 

I've had no performance issues on my rig while playing, but I have taken to just using end program when I want to quit, it takes something like 15minutes to get the goddamn thing to close all the way.

Just pull your computers power plug, fast way out of the program  :roll:

It just FEELS slow. Maybe it's the travel, maybe it's the client's sluggish performance. I just feel like I'm walking in molasses, firing in amber and stuck in first gear.

The travel is definitely a dog on it, otherwise I like the game.

Has the fodder program officially started yet? Because it felt like the Vanu were fielding their girlscouts last night. I got 64 unmolested sniper kills before some dink ran over me with a tank.

Yes it has.

THAT explains it. Time to farm some more noobs.

How is movement if you have a Wraith?  I loves me some stealthy stealth.

You can get up to at least BR 4 just by doing the simulator tutorials and "touching" all the guns, armors, items, and vehicles. For the vehicles don't forget to hop into the gunner positions as well, if they have them, for more experience points.

Just remember not to touch the guns inappropriately.

ATVs are really fast and hence hard to control when you are going at or near top speed. They are also one shot kills for land mines.

The only things faster then a Wraith have wings and jet engines.

Got it up and running again last night, had an issue where it wouldn't recognize that my power supply is on 24 to 7, but changing it, then re-booting the computer made the game understand it.

Wow, there was a ton of people shooting like crazy at each other.  Many people that tried to go toe to toe with my light tank as infantry, those guys will have to learn the correct counter  for each type of weapons.  Lots of people that didn't understand that drivers need gunners, and even with a ton of people standing around, I had to poke people into my raider, but once they found out how fun a vehicle it is they were coming back for more.

I'm on emerald server as Scruffy. 

Rule #1 in PS: Get a vehicle, preferably a mosquito.

The only time non-cloakers should be running anywhere is:

- Tower to base or vice versa
- Inside a tower or base
- In your sanc

This will be the biggest impediment to being fodder since it takes 2 certs minimum to get a vehicle, I believe. Fodder should be able to get BR8 for this reason.

ATV and Harasser are 1 cert each. And the ANT is free :-D

http://planetside.station.sony.com/reserves/

Looks like they changed the name of the "Fodder" Program.


A FAQ about it...

http://planetside.station.sony.com/news_archive.vm?id=67028&section=News&month=current


This makes playing again kinda tempting IMO.

EDIT: Now I realize this is old news.......doh